Artist's Process

City scenes dominate most of Patrick's subject matter but he is not only interested in the urban landscape. He is most interested in depicting scenes from everyday life, places many people would ordinarily see as mundane. He often incorporates a graphic style rich in contrasting vibrant colors in order to draw the viewer into the painting. He uses his own photographs as a reference when creating his paintings. Photography is most definitely a strong factor, when he sees a scene that he finds truly captivating that is when he feels he must bring it to life on canvas.

From a photograph the process moves to the computer where he crops where necessary in order to create a pleasing composition. He then prints out that photograph and the studio work begins. He will start off by painting the sky first making sure his gradations are smooth. Next he will draw (as detailed as he possibly can) the architecture and anything else that makes up the scene. From there he will work in a series of layers, constantly mixing new colors and refining the drawing. He will work on one section at a time as to not get overwhelmed. The brushes get smaller as he goes along, trying his best not to miss anything important and to make sure the light is accurate.

By the time the painting is finished he could have 3 to 5 layers of paint on the canvas depending on how much detail there is. Once the painting is complete it feels as if you are there while at the same time maintaining a certain graphic almost abstract quality.